


A Little Less Lost

by TheGreatCatsby



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Blood, M/M, can be after thor 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-28
Updated: 2013-11-28
Packaged: 2018-01-02 20:36:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1061340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatCatsby/pseuds/TheGreatCatsby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve finds an injured Loki and decides to help him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Less Lost

The desert whispered soft nothings on the wind. All was silent, save for the shifting of sand and the crunch of feet treading the ground. 

An out-cropping of rocks lay ahead. It looked like the other, scattered outcroppings of rock, but Steve thought, why not? This was as good as any other place for a criminal to hide. 

SHIELD had sent him on a chase after some spy who had decided to run in the desert. Not the best place, but, well, spies could do that. 

He approached the rocks and thought he heard something like a soft gasp. But it could have been the wind. 

Still, he had one hand on the holster of his gun as he walked closer to the rocks, trying to ignore the burning heat. He crept to the rocks and snuck a look at what was behind them, partially hidden by a scrawny bush and a few smaller rocks. 

There was red, a lot of it, staining the sand dark. Steve’s eyes followed the trail to a body, and he found his heart speed up in surprise. 

It was Loki, covered in tattered leathers. That wasn’t the unusual part. There was a sword sticking out of his chest that Loki’s hands were fluttering around, red with blood themselves. It seemed he couldn’t remove the thing. 

Steve’s body lurched into motion and he ran towards Loki’s prone and bloodied form. Loki’s eyes were still open, and he was gasping for breath, and upon seeing Steve his harsh breathing quickened. 

Steve held up his hands and said, “It’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m here to help. Um...” He realized that there wasn’t much he could do; they were in the middle of the desert, and Loki wouldn’t want to be taken back to SHIELD. “What can I do?” 

Loki’s hands shook. Steve saw that there were cuts all over them, still fresh and bleeding. Like he had been trying and failing to grasp the sword. The thought of the blade slicing through the palms of Loki’s hands made Steve feel ill. 

After a moment Loki choked, “Take it out.” 

“You’ll bleed more,” Steve said. “I don’t have anything—well, my shirt. But you’ll bleed out.” 

“Magic,” Loki gasped. “Take it out-” He groaned and turned his head to the side, jaw clenched. 

“Okay,” Steve said. He grasped the handle of the sword, the thing that Loki couldn’t reach, and pulled. With some effort, the sword came free, drenched in blood. Steve tossed it aside. 

Loki’s hands covered the wound, pressing down, but blood continued to seep through his fingers. Steve knelt down next to him and took off his shirt, balled it up and gently pushed Loki’s hands aside to cover the wound with the fabric. 

Loki was shaking, and his eyes were closed, and there were tears staining his cheeks. Steve kept pressure firmly on the wound. For a few moments, there was nothing but the sound of Loki’s ragged breathing. 

“Can you heal it?” Steve asked. “Because my only option right now is to take you to SHIELD, and I don’t think you want that.” 

“Why wouldn’t you?” Loki gasped. “I am your enemy. You have me at your mercy.” 

“Because you need help,” Steve said, “and I’m not gonna risk you running away and dying because you were afraid I’d hand you in instead of letting you recover.” 

“Fool,” Loki hissed. 

“So,” Steve said, “you can let me help you or you can dig yourself a deeper hole. What’ll it be?” 

Loki opened his eyes and looked at Steve. His brow furrowed. “You extraordinary creature.” 

“So?” Steve repeated. 

Loki groaned and one hand clutched at his leathers. “It is painful,” he said. “I can stop the bleeding, but I have been-” he swallowed “-poisoned. Magic. I need-” He gasped, arching up under Steve’s grip. Steve put a steadying hand on his shoulder. “Time.” 

“Time,” Steve repeated. 

“To work counter-magics,” Loki specified, “and to heal.” He made a choking sound like a laugh. “Perhaps not in this desert, but also not in a cell. If that is at all possible.” 

Steve looked up. They were miles from any sort of civilization. The closest thing may have, in fact, been a SHIELD base. “I don’t know where we could go,” he said. Even if they got out of the desert, SHIELD would wonder where he was. And they were monitoring him. 

“You have technology, yes?” Loki asked. 

Steve nodded—a cell phone, given to him by Tony that did more than any cell phone had the right to do. “I can get it if you can keep pressure on this.” 

Loki placed his hand on top of Steve’s, then jerked it away. Steve took his hand off the shirt and Loki replaced his hand and pressed down. Steve wiped the blood on his pants and took out his cell phone. 

There was service. Good service. 

He opened an app that would show him a map and frowned. The nearest town was eleven miles away, challenging in the best of circumstances in the desert, but it would take a very long time with Loki injured as he was. Not to mention, within the next few hours the Avengers and SHIELD would be wondering about him. 

“There’s a town a few miles away,” Steve said. “It would take awhile to get there. Enough time for people to start asking questions.” 

“Your friends are insufferable,” Loki said. “Can they track you on this device?” 

“Yes,” Steve said, “but even if they couldn’t, they could track me from the air.” 

“I can cloak us,” Loki said. 

Steve frowned. “Won’t that affect your recovery time?” 

“It will help me reach a place in which I can rest and recover. Leave that device here,” Loki said. “Remember the direction in which we need to go.” 

“This plan doesn’t seem like a good plan,” Steve said. “You can’t use the magic you’re using to heal yourself to conceal yourself. Maybe we can call a truce-”

“I will not spend my days rotting in a cell,” Loki snapped. 

“Okay,” Steve said. “But if things get bad, Loki, I can’t make any promises.” 

“They won’t get bad,” Loki said. “Unfortunately for you.” 

“I don’t want-”

“We can go,” Loki said, removing Steve’s shirt from his wound. The fabric was horribly red and dripping from the bottom, and beneath it the gash was barely closed. Steve assumed the same was true of the exit hole in Loki’s back, and Loki looked as pale as paper. But the expression on his face left little room for argument. 

“You can lean on me,” Steve said, holding out a hand. 

Loki ignored it and struggled to his feet. He swayed dangerously in place for a moment, his eyes unfocusing. He managed to regain control of himself, but barely. “I am fine,” he said, shakily. “Lead, captain.” 

Steve gestured to the east. “That way. We’ll probably have to stop and rest for the night.” 

Loki gave him a sharp nod and together they started off in that direction. Loki’s walking could only be described as erratic stumbling, though to his credit, he didn’t fall. The sound of his labored breathing was making Steve very concerned, however, and it took much effort to not ask Loki if he was okay. 

Instead, he asked, “How did you get that wound?” 

“Elves,” was Loki’s short reply. 

“Elves,” Steve repeated. 

“Dark elves,” Loki elaborated. 

“As opposed to light elves?” Steve asked. 

“Yes.” 

They went on in silence for a few more minutes. The heat prickled at Steve’s neck, but he knew that in a few hours he would be wishing for it again. The nights in the desert could be brutally cold. 

“I thought you were supposed to be in prison,” he said. 

“I thought so as well,” Loki muttered. “We were both wrong.” 

“How’d you get out?” Steve asked. 

“Do you ever stop talking?” Loki said. 

Steve tried not to let Loki’s attitude get to him. After all, Loki had a poisoned wound and had spent the past few hours impaled with a sword, and that was bound to make anyone disagreeable. Even if Loki was normally like that. 

“I’m trying to distract you,” Steve said. “You look like you need it.” 

Loki scoffed, then winced. Steve was surprised he’d been on his feet for so long, but if he was anything like Thor (and he would never admit it, but he was) he could withstand a lot more than the average human could. 

“I’ve never been in a desert before,” Steve added. “Not properly, anyway. Not for this long. They’re interesting places.”

“Interesting,” Loki repeated. 

“Hostile,” Steve said. “Nothing should live here. And yet things do. They thrive in a place that does its best to kill them. Like some of the plants you see here-”

“Is there a point to this?” Loki asked. 

“I figured if we’re spending time together, we might as well talk to each other,” Steve said. 

Loki sighed. “If you insist,” he said. “I promise nothing.” 

“I do insist,” Steve said, grinning. “Have you ever been in a desert before?” 

“A desert of cold,” Loki answered. “Preferable, I think, to this.” 

“You like the cold?” Steve asked. 

Loki stiffened. All he said, though, was, “Perhaps.” 

“I’ve had enough cold to last a lifetime,” Steve said. He remembered that ice. He remembered the bone-deep chill that seemed to persist long after he’d been dragged from the snow. “I’m a fan of summer, myself.” 

Loki made a noise of acknowledgement. 

Steve continued, “You don’t have to talk. I can talk. You seem like you don’t want to talk.” 

“I am concentrating, at the moment,” Loki said. 

“Okay,” Steve said. “I’ll talk, then. You can get to know me while you concentrate.” 

“If you must,” Loki said. 

So Steve talked. As they trudged through the sand he talked about where he came from in Brooklyn, how he’d been young and weak and he’d wanted to join the army but, until the super-soldier serum, they wouldn’t let him. He talked about how powerless he’d felt, perhaps not the smartest bit of information to give his enemy, but he felt that Loki might need to hear a realistic story rather than the fantastical story that everyone else built up around Captain America. Steve wanted, if nothing else, to be honest with Loki. 

Perhaps it would mean something to him. Perhaps he would be less inclined to cause harm if he got to know someone of Earth. 

Perhaps he would feel that he could open up about himself. Steve had a feeling that Loki’s anger had a lot to do with repressed emotions, and that he’d never really had the chance to vent in a healthy way. 

Loki didn’t respond. He didn’t say a word. He kept walking, occasionally making noises to show he was listening, or scoffing when Steve said something particularly ridiculous. One time he laughed, actually laughed, when Steve talked about being the equivalent of a cheerleader for soldiers during the first part of his military experience. 

Loki had a surprisingly pleasant laugh. 

The sun set, and everything became an inky black. Steve could hardly see his own hands, let alone where they were going. “We should rest,” he said. 

Loki stopped in front of him. “Where?” he asked. His voice was hoarse, despite not having spoken in hours. 

“Here,” Steve said. “I don’t think we have much of a choice, unless you can teleport us somewhere, But you probably would’ve done that hours ago.” 

“I don’t have enough magic,” Loki said faintly. “Here is fine.” 

Steve shivered as he lowered himself onto the ground, exposed as he was in only an undershirt and jeans. Sand shifted beneath his legs and he knew that he’d be shaking sand out of all manner of places for at least a week after this was done. 

If sand was the biggest issue after this adventure, he’d be grateful. 

Loki had lowered himself next to Steve and was laying on the ground. In the darkness, Steve could see his eyes, glassy and wide open. 

“You should sleep,” he said. 

“What about you, Captain?” 

“I’ll sleep,” Steve said. He lay back and looked up at the stars, which were incredibly clear. He actually gasped; he had never seen them so defined before in his life. He thought he could count them. He nudged Loki’s arm. “You should look at these. It’s beautiful.” 

“I’ve seen them,” Loki said. Steve turned to look at him. Loki was still on his side, but his eyes were closed. 

“You don’t like the stars?” 

“I don’t like the space between the stars,” Loki said. “There is much of it here.” 

Steve looked up again. The stars didn’t cover every inch of sky, and they certainly didn’t shed much light on the inky desert below. The spaces between them were dark. He turned back to Loki. “Are you cold?” 

“No,” Loki said. Then, “Yes. But that is nothing new.” 

“I don’t have a blanket handy, unfortunately,” Steve said, “but we could share body heat.” 

“You would find my body heat inadequate, Rogers.” 

“So that’s a no.” Steve wrapped his arms around himself, trying to trap as much warmth as he could in his body. The cold air kept leeching it away. 

“Sleep,” Loki said. “Stop your inane attempts at conversation and sleep.” 

“Goodnight, Loki,” Steve said, smirking. He got no response. 

**

When Steve woke up, his body was cold and stiff. What had woken him up, however, was the sensation of warmth all over, creeping into uncomfortable territory, and the light that shone through his eyelids. He opened his eyes and had to blink several times to adjust to the brightness. 

He was facing Loki, who somehow was still asleep, his face relaxed, peaceful. One of his hands was pressed against his stomach, the other gripping a mound of sand. 

Steve sat up, slowly, and every part of his body protested. He was numb, and he tried his best to get feeling back into his limbs. The heat helped, in this respect, but it was just on the border of becoming too hot. 

Not to mention there was an unholy amount of sand sticking to his skin, even in places that were covered in clothes. 

He turned back to Loki and nudged him. “Wake up,” he said. “I think we only have a few more hours’ walking to the nearest town.” 

Loki moaned and curled in on himself. 

“Come on,” Steve said, shaking Loki’s shoulder gently. “We can’t stay here all day.” 

Loki coughed, and Steve felt a spike of worry. The cough didn’t sound good. 

“Are you okay?” he asked. 

Loki shuddered and opened his eyes. He took a deep breath, then coughed again. “The poison,” he choked, and then was cut off by more wracking coughs. 

“We can get into town,” Steve said. “You’ll have a better chance there than here. Can you walk?” 

Loki managed to catch his breath and struggled to sit up, and then to stand up. He swayed and Steve jumped up to catch him. Loki twisted out of his grip—or tried. Steve held fast. 

“Loki,” he said, “you’re worse than yesterday. I’m here to help you.” 

“You’ll take me back to your Avengers,” Loki snarled, attempting to pull away. “You have me how you want me—”

“No,” Steve said. Loki was shaking and he felt strangely warm. It could have been the desert, but Steve suspected a fever. Which just added to the problem. “I want to help you. Are you still cloaking us?” 

Loki stopped struggling and turned to look at Steve, searching his face intently. “Where does Thor find the likes of you?” he muttered. 

“In the ice,” Steve said. “Are you gonna let me help you or not?” 

“Thor likes the ice,” Loki said, and he turned away. “If I die, Rogers, I will send the armies of Hel after you.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Steve said, taking Loki’s arm and pulling him forward. “Let’s go.” 

“I can walk,” Loki snapped, yanking his arm away and moving forward. Steve followed him, taking note of Loki’s unsteady steps and the way one of his hands clutched at his stomach and how harsh his breathing was. 

They managed twenty minutes, impressively, before Loki stopped in his tracks and swayed. 

“You okay?” Steve asked. 

Loki closed his eyes. “I feel strange,” he said, words slurring just a little. 

“You’re tired,” Steve said. “You’re wounded. I can support you.” 

“Oh,” Loki said, glancing down. Steve did as well and his heart leapt. There was blood staining Loki’s hand. The wound had re-opened. 

“I left my shirt behind,” Steve said. “You can have my undershirt-”

“My magic,” Loki said weakly. He pressed his hand back against the wound. 

“Here, lean against me,” Steve said. Loki gave him a look that was too weak to be a glare, but after a moment he obeyed and allowed Steve to support him. Loki’s body still felt uncomfortably warm, and he was shivering. “Okay, only a few more miles. I think. We kind of left my phone behind.” 

Loki nodded and Steve led them forward. Loki leaned against him, clearly exhausted, but he kept moving his feet, which was good. Steve wasn’t entirely sure they would be able to reach town soon if he had to drag Loki all the way there. 

They went on like this for about an hour, oddly silent. Loki seemed to be concentrating exclusively on staying on his feet. Steve decided not to bother him, though it was hard when he saw droplets of blood falling onto the sand from between Loki’s fingers. Voicing his concern wouldn’t help, however, so he said nothing. 

Loki stopped abruptly. Steve stopped as well, not wanting to force Loki forward if he couldn’t move. Instead he asked, “Loki?” 

Loki twisted away and retched, vomiting blood and bile into the sand. 

Steve was shocked. It took him a moment to react, at which point Loki was doubled over and heaving. Steve managed to get an arm around him just before he fell over. 

“It’s okay,” he said. He felt the need to offer some sort of comfort, so he awkwardly ran his fingers through Loki’s hair. 

Loki slumped against Steve in response and the two just stood there for a moment. Steve had a sinking feeling that Loki was getting much worse too quickly. 

“I need,” Loki rasped, “a stable environment in which to rest. Somewhere safe.” 

“Nearest town,” Steve said. “Do you think you can make it?” 

“I won’t die,” Loki said, “if that’s what you’re implying.”

“You’re worse,” Steve said. “You have a fever.” 

“The fever is the least of my problems,” Loki muttered. 

“Can you continue?” Steve asked. Loki nodded, and they started forward again. 

While they walked, Steve wondered why he felt so concerned. Loki had done some terrible things, and maybe Steve could chalk up his worry to being a good person, or to Loki being Thor’s little brother. He had to admit to himself that the thought had crossed his mind to give Loki over to SHIELD. But he didn’t like betraying trust. Even an enemy’s trust. 

He would have to face the aftermath when it came later. For now, he could only concentrate on helping an enemy in need. 

And then, suddenly, a town appeared on the horizon. 

It was small. Steve had no idea where they would stay or how they would be inconspicuous as they were, but as they drew closer he felt excited. He even pointed it out to Loki, but Loki was past the point of caring. He merely inclined his head. He was putting more of his weight on Steve as well. 

“Where are we gonna stay?” Steve asked. 

Loki made a humming noise and didn’t elaborate. They had reached the edge of the town, and Steve wanted nothing more than to collapse and have a nice cold water. But they had nowhere to stay.

Luckily, none of the town’s inhabitants had noticed them yet. 

Steve saw a motel about two blocks away and patted his jean pocket. He had not left his wallet behind, luckily. 

“If you can make it look like we’re not men who just spent two days in the desert,” Steve murmured, “I can get us a room at that place over there.” 

Loki hummed again, and Steve had to assume that he’d heard and that there was some sort of illusion at work. Either way, he had no choice but to enter the motel. 

The concierge was a teenage boy who seemed completely uninterested by them, and the room was surprisingly cheap. Steve had them at the entrance to one of the rooms ten minutes later, and as he opened the door he was greeted by a blast of refreshingly cool air. 

He managed to get Loki on the bed and then stood there for a moment, because there was only one bed, and he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to take his chances with Loki or go take a shower. 

He didn’t have any clean clothes, either. 

For his part, Loki curled in on himself and shivered, eyes squeezed determinedly shut. 

“Um,” Steve said. “I’m gonna go out and get some clothes and food and stuff. You should probably-” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Water,” he muttered, and went into the bathroom to get a cup of it. 

Getting Loki to sit up was more difficult than it should have been. Steve ended up supporting his back and holding him in an awkward sort-of-elevated position. Loki eyed the cup with suspicion. 

“It’s water,” Steve said. “You were in the desert and you’re dehydrated. Drink it. I’m sure it’ll help your magic.” 

Loki lifted a shaky hand to the cup, but Steve decided to tip the water into Loki’s mouth rather than risk Loki spilling the water all over the place. Loki drank slowly, automatically. When he was done Steve stood up and got himself his own cup of water. It felt revitalizing in a way that water usually wasn’t. 

“Okay,” he said, turning back to Loki, whose eyes were closed again. He looked pained. “I’ll be right back. Don’t...move.” He took the key and left the room and hoped that he didn’t look too terrible to be shopping for essentials around town. 

He also hoped that SHIELD wouldn’t be monitoring this place. 

And he also really, really hoped that Loki wouldn’t cause trouble left to his own devices. 

The townspeople didn’t pay him too much mind—perhaps it was the last dregs of Loki’s spell that hadn’t quite worn off—and he ended up back in the motel room an hour later with food and clothes. Loki was still shivering on the bed, though his wound had stopped bleeding, and nothing was broken or on fire. It was a victory. 

Steve took a shower. The water stung his skin, which had been slightly burnt by the sun. He imagined Loki had similar issues, though compared to being impaled a sunburn was nothing. He got into some clean clothes and settled himself in the bed next to Loki. 

He was tired. 

It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep. 

**

Steve woke up suddenly, his heart pounding, and he at first had no idea why. He sat up, glanced around, and then Loki cried out, causing him to nearly jump off the bed. 

Loki was still curled on his side, but his sleep was troubled. He made a sound like a sob, and Steve reached over and shook him by the shoulder. 

Loki turned over quickly and one hand grabbed Steve’s wrist in a tight grip. Loki’s eyes were wide and disoriented. 

“It’s okay,” Steve said. “It was a dream.” 

Loki stared at him. 

“It’s fine,” Steve insisted. 

“I was falling,” Loki rasped. His hand tightened around Steve’s wrist, and his eyes darted around the room. 

“You’re not falling,” Steve said. “You’re in a motel.”

Loki let go of Steve, let his hand fall. He seemed to come back to himself, and his eyes fluttered closed. “It is cold,” he murmured. 

“You’re on top of the blanket,” Steve pointed out. 

“It would not help,” Loki sighed, turning back over. Eventually his breathing evened out, and he was asleep again. 

Steve watched him for some time. It was strange, seeing the enemy in their ultimate time of weakness. It was strange to know Loki had nightmares. 

It was a small gesture, but he placed a hand on Loki’s arm and fell asleep that way, just in case Loki needed some reassurance that he was not falling. 

Come morning, Steve, too, had no nightmares. 

**

Noon came and went. Steve had eaten two apples and drank three bottles of water. Loki still slept, and SHIELD hadn’t come for them yet. It was a success. 

It was almost like a vacation. Even though Loki was his enemy, and was injured, and Steve was hiding from his teammates and friends, and somewhere in the desert there was a spy he’d meant to catch before he got distracted. 

A very interesting vacation. 

Steve watched the news to see if there was anything about him missing, unlikely though it was. Sure enough, SHIELD seemed to have kept the situation under wraps. And Steve had done well to use only his cash in making purchases. So SHIELD couldn’t track him based on that alone. And the townspeople hadn’t recognized him. 

When evening came, he settled into bed and watched a program about storm chasers. The way the storms spawned tornadoes was fascinating, and terrifying. It was something the Avengers, for all their strengths, could never fight, an impenetrable force of destruction. 

Loki stirred next to him. 

Steve looked over and was surprised to find Loki pushing himself into a sitting position. He looked a bit less like death, and his wound and the blood had almost disappeared entirely. Which was impressive. 

“Feeling better?” he asked. 

Loki’s eyes bore into his. After a moment he said, “You have not called your team.” 

“You seem to have a hard time believing that I’d keep my word,” Steve said. 

“I could not have stopped you,” Loki said. “Why not take advantage?” 

“I told you,” Steve said. “You needed help. And maybe you’ll need help again. And maybe instead of having everyone be your enemy you need someone you can trust when things get rough. Like when you get run through with a poison sword.” 

“And you can solve my problems,” Loki scoffed. 

“I can help you,” Steve said, “as long as you’re not hurting anyone.” 

“Your friends would not approve,” Loki taunted. 

“I can make decisions for myself,” Steve said. 

“Oh,” Loki said, “so you are capable of independent thought?” 

Steve tried not to let this get on his nerves. It was a bit difficult. “You could just say thank you.” 

“I could,” Loki agreed. He glanced at the television. “They haven’t found you yet.” 

“No,” Steve said. “They haven’t.” 

“But they will,” Loki continued. “Soon. The spells have worn off.” 

“What will you do?” Steve asked. 

Loki faced him again. “Leave.” He leaned forward, his expression carefully emotionless. 

“Wait.” Steve grabbed Loki’s arm. “You can’t leave. You’ve barely healed.” 

“I’ve healed enough,” Loki said 

“So you run?” Steve asked. 

“Why should I stay?” Loki countered. “Running is more to my advantage than staying still.” 

Steve didn’t have an answer. At least, he didn’t have a good one. “We could talk,” he tried. 

Loki leaned forward. “We could talk,” he repeated, his lips twitching. “I assure you, Captain, that you’ve done enough talking in the past two days.” 

“I did,” Steve said. “Were you listening?” 

“Was I?” Loki asked. His eyes flashed, challenging Steve to something. 

“I want to believe that you did,” Steve said. 

“No one ever believes anything of me,” Loki said. They were very close now. 

“That isn’t true,” Steve said. The statement made him ache. One time no one had believed in him, either, though for very different reasons. 

“Your hand,” Loki murmured, “is on my arm.” 

“So you won’t just leave,” Steve said. 

“What do you want from me?” 

“Something to tell me that you won’t do anything stupid,” Steve said. “That you can consider me something more than an enemy. That you’ll stop killing yourself and get help when you need it.” 

“I don’t make promises,” Loki told him. 

Steve sighed and turned to look at the television, where a man was shouting expletives about the storm in front of him. When he turned back he nearly fell over; Loki had moved even closer. 

And then he leaned forward just a little more, brushing Steve’s lips. 

Steve’s eyebrows shot up. Loki pressed his lips to Steve’s, harder, and it felt passionate, passionate enough that Steve responded. 

And then Loki pulled away, and said, “There are possibilities.” 

Steve stared at him. 

“You aren’t completely hopeless,” Loki continued. “Thank you, Captain.” 

“What does that mean?” Steve managed, but by the time he was done asking, Loki had disappeared, leaving behind not a trace. 

Steve hadn’t even the time to gather himself before there was a knock on the door. And he knew it was SHIELD, knew that he would have to explain where he’d been and why he was here, of all places. 

He knew he wouldn’t talk about Loki. 

He would talk about how the spy he was after had ambushed him, how he’d gotten lost, how he had no idea why SHIELD couldn’t find him so he’d decided to wait in this small town. 

He stood up and straightened his shirt and took a deep breath. 

He would lie, and maybe it would help Loki become a bit less lost.


End file.
